Cats N Dogs

Day 22: As yet, I have not determined what parameters inspire my Davis weather station to offer up this particular observation, but I believe it has something to do with conditions over the past 15 minutes. In any case, since midnight (10 hours), I have recorded 1.52" of rain. If you were to walk down my driveway, you'd have to avoid numerous poodles to get to the mailbox. Otherwise known as a "Pineapple Express," the Pacific Northwe't is currently at the bottom of an atmospheric river. Flood watches are in effect (not "flood warnings," not yet, because the runoff hasn't reached the river channels), particularly in southwest Washington. Because we received so little precip during the summer (in a 5 1/2-month period, my gauge only registered 0.11", mostly as fog/dew), the ground is exceedingly dry. As the top layer becomes saturated and heavy, the possibility of landslips increases dramatically. Fortunately, I am situated where neither flood or landslide is likely to have a direct effect, at least as far as potential property damage goes. However, I may find myself cut off from the rest of the world, either physically or virtually or both, by road closures, power outages or other secondary events. Something tells me we're in for a long winter.

Sailor, Take Warning

Day 46: Let's talk about the phrase, "atmospheric river" for a minute. It's being bandied about here in the Pacific Northwe't again while several more are poised to surge over us in the next few days. The media have only recently picked up on the term and, in true form, are using it to get people all stirred up as if it was something new and dangerous. In point of fact, "atmospheric rivers" are nothing new. They were formerly called "moisture plumes" or "warm sector jets" or "pineapple express" events, but "atmospheric river" sounds much more threatening, and that's a lure the media can't resist. They occur when moisture-laden tropical currents extend their fingers into our cooler northern latitudes. Now it must be said that if a particularly heavy moisture plume stalls over an area, that area is likely to see some hard rain and possible flooding, but these three are expected to be fairly short-lived. The first one has already passed through, and I gathered a modest 1/4" of rain, hardly enough to bother putting on a jacket when I went out to fill the bird feeders. That said, "atmospheric rivers" are often accompanied by strong winds and the inevitable power outages associated with them, so take appropriate measures in case one of them decides to stick around. "Red sky in the morning / Sailor, take warning / Red sky at night / Sailor's delight." The photo above was taken at 7 AM. I've made extra coffee and have meals I can heat on my camp stove.